105. In document APCAS/04/16, "Plan for the Forthcoming
World Census of Agriculture (WCA) 2010", the Commission learned that the WCA
2010, covering censuses conducted during the period 2006-2015, would be the
ninth in the series of this decennial programme, which started in
1930.

106. The Commission was advised of the 1930 and 1940 WCA
programmes, sponsored by the International Institute of Agriculture that sought
to provide comprehensive agricultural data, including production, learned that
these guidelines were difficult for many countries to implement and that FAO
assumed the responsibilities for WCA and had promoted the 1950, 1960, 1970,
1980, 1990 and 2000 programmes. The Commission noted that from 1950, the content
of the census had been limited to structural data only, but over the years the
guidelines had been expanded to cover new areas of interest.

107. The Commission was informed that the WCA 2010 programme
would be developed after a review of country experiences with the 2000 programme
and a re-assessment of data needs in the light of changes in agricultural
practices. In addition the new programme provided for agricultural censuses to
be conducted as the central component of the system of agricultural sample
surveys and that countries would be encouraged to develop the agricultural
survey programme as an integral part of the agricultural census
planning.

108. The Commission understood that agricultural censuses
would mainly focus on the collection of structural data for agricultural
production units; that is, for agricultural holdings, and that an option would
be provided to extend the scope of the census to cover units engaged in
aquaculture production in view of the growing importance of aquaculture in many
countries. The Commission was also informed that the WCA 2010 programme
recognized that some countries might wish to include in their agricultural
censuses other households deriving income from agriculture, such as farm
labourers.

109. The Commission learned about the introduction in the WCA
2010 of a modular approach consisting of a core census module (with 16 items,
and census supplementary modules and that the core census module should be
conducted on a complete enumeration or large sample basis, in order to provide a
limited range of key data for national policy-making; for making inter-country
comparisons; for establishing sampling frames; and, for providing fine level
data such as for low-level administrative units.

110. It was suggested to the Commission that the inclusion of
one or more census supplementary modules in the agriculture census for
enumeration on a sample basis, using the core census module as a frame, would
provide more in-depth data and that the use of such an approach would reduce
costs and would allow countries to collect a greater range of data than in
previous censuses.

111. The Commission was made aware that the methodology of the
core census module for WCA 2010 was similar to the methodology used in the
agricultural censuses carried out by countries under previous WCA programmes.
The Commission noted that the main difference is that the core census module is
expected to cover fewer data items than previously, with additional items to be
collected via the sample-based supplementary modules. The Commission was also
informed that, as in the past; the 2010 programme provided a lot of flexibility
for countries to develop agricultural censuses to meet their own specific
requirements.

112. The Commission was advised of the omission of
non-essential items in WCA 2000 from the census component of WCA 2010 including
the presence of a hired manager, area with irrigation potential, soil
type/colour/depth, non-residential buildings, and value of forestry/fishery
sales.

113. The Commission learned that the WCA 2010 introduced new
elements/features such as: the collection of community-level data to provide
infra-structure and other socio-economic data; the linkage between the
agricultural census and the population census; the concepts of "agri-aqua
holding" and "aquaculture holding" to cover aquaculture production in the
agricultural census; the concepts of the "sub-holding" and the "sub-holder to
better understand the role of household members, especially women, in the
management of a holding; the clarification of the definition of irrigation to
reflect the "controlled" supply of water; the concept of "water management" to
cover such things as flood recession cultivation and spate irrigation; and, the
notion of "legal" and "non-legal" land ownership.

114. The Commission was informed of other important changes in
concepts and definitions made in the WCA 2010: (1) the land use classification
had been simplified, and its terminology had been clarified; (2) the forest land
had been re-defined in line with the international standards; (3) the concept of
machinery had been defined in terms of source of power and the task it
performed; and, (4) the employment concepts had been changed to better reflect
the structure of employment in rural areas and to be consistent with
International Labour Organization (ILO) standards.

115. The Commission understood that the countries undertaking
agriculture census in any one year between 2006 and 2015 would be part of the
WCA 2010 programme.

116. The Commission noted that the increase in the number of
items in the agricultural census might lead to farmer (respondent) fatigue
during the enumeration. The Commission agreed, however, that the modular
approach and the introduction of sampling would help solve this
problem.

117. The Commission recommended that the community
level data in agricultural census should be complementary with the village level
data collected during the population census, wherever applicable.

118. In Document APCAS/04/INF7, "Animal Husbandry
Statistics", the Commission was informed that India had conducted the
17th quinquennial livestock census in 2003 and that it had brought
out a provisional report within nine months of completion of the census work
that covered four areas: livestock, poultry, agricultural machinery and
implements, and fisheries. The Commission also learned that the livestock census
data were expected to be released at the district level with rural-urban
break-up in the month of October 2004. The Commission was also informed that the
census data had revealed India was the country with the largest population of
cattle and buffaloes and that the scope of the livestock census 2003 had been
enlarged, providing data on all important breeds of cattle and
buffaloes.

119. The Commission was advised of the slight decrease in the
total livestock population from 485.38 million in 1997 to 482.78 million,
although the poultry population had significantly increased from 347.61 to
440.07 million during the corresponding period.